Breakfast does not always have to be the same if you get my drift, so one morning I thought that I wanted to enjoy some of those fabulous duck eggs that I had just purchased at our fabulous Wood River Sustainability Center (http://wrsustainabilitycenter.com/). I do hope that you all know about this center here in Hailey because it features the most wonderful local produce (and more) for you to buy and enjoy.

Pasta has always been one of my favorite foods and though I try to eat it in moderation, I do think that if you have pasta in the morning that’s probably the best time of the day to have it. I particularly enjoy the Israel Couscous and so here is a little dish that I created for a little brunch. By the way, if you have any of this left over pasta, you can sauté it quickly in some olive oil and it’ll become quite crunchy and excellent in a different way than you’ve had it in this dish.

So, this is the 1, 2, and 3 game plan: make the sauce first, then the asparagus, then the couscous and then put it together. I know, it looks like a lot of work, but really it isn’t—it’s actually a breeze to put together and best of all, it’s very yummy. Also think, you probably won’t make it on a daily basis—but then again, who knows?

Melt the butter and the Parmesan in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave but DO NOT LET IT BURN.

Combine all the other ingredients in a blender and blend first and then drizzle in the butter/parmesan. The sauce will thicken. Taste and add in more whatever you wish. Transfer to a container and keep warm by putting the container in another bowl full of HOT water—stirring every now and then to keep smooth. It should be OK for the next 1/2 hour at least. Easy is the key to this good sauce.

Make the asparagus second (easy, easy again):

Ingredients for the asparagus:

About 18 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut diagonally into 3/4 pieces

1-2 Tblsp. olive oil

1 minced garlic clove

1/2 Tsp. grated lemon peel

Directions for the asparagus:

In a medium sized skillet, heat 1-2 Tblsp olive oil and add the asparagus, one minced garlic clove and the grated lemon peel. Sprinkle with S&P to taste and sauté until crisp-tender (about 3 minutes). Cover to keep warm. Optionally of course you can oven roast the asparagus (see my blog for a full guide to oven roasting various veggies).

THIRD:Make the couscous and your 12 inch heavy skillet of some kind is the one you will be needing here.

Ingredients for the couscous:

1-2 Tblsp. olive oil

1 minced garlic clove

1 & 1/3 C. Israel Couscous (NOT the other kind)

2 C. vegetable broth (you’ll used 1 3/4 C for sure but may need some more)

S&P to taste

4 duck (or other) eggs but honestly if you can get your hand on a duck egg—you’ll never forget that rich fabulous taste

Add 1 3/4 C. vegetable broth, increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat immediately to a medium-low, cover, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender (about 10 minutes). Watch to see that more broth might not be needed and if so add tiny bits (by tablespoons) until the pasta is done. When done, turn heat to very low and add and toss the asparagus into the couscous. Make 4 large indentations for the duck eggs.

Break the eggs in your indentations and still over low heat, place the cover on the skillet and let the eggs cook (about 5 minutes—here in the mountains). They should be ready when the whites have congealed.

At that point, take the skillet off the heat and sprinkle it all with the Parmesan ( and chives if you wish) and of course, a nice sprinkling of that lovely paprika.

SO__NOW______Bon Appétit (French) et Mange(Italian) So there you go, a bit of multilingual whatever and what more could you expect from a Swiss woman?

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.

Be sure to take a minute to visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com for over 200 more simple and delicious recipes. You also can call Margot for personal cooking help or hosting for small B&B kinds of food gatherings. Margot’s phone number is: 208-721-3551. Friend Margot on Facebook and also find her on Linkedin,Twitter,Pinterest and other social sites.

Bread Pudding with Whiskey (or whatever flavor you prefer) SauceServes 8 to 10 servingIngredients:
• 1 pound loaf Soft French Bread Loaf or Challah bread,( crusts trimmed if you wish however I don’t do that), bread cut into 1-inch cubes.
• 8 eggs
• 1 ½ C. whipping cream
• 2 ½ C. whole milk
• 1 ¼ C. sugar
• Optional: Some whole caramelized (by you) pecans to add after you have baked the dish
• Optional: 1 drained can of fruit cocktail if you wish to make it “Deep Southern”. Sprinkle the fruit on the pre-baked pudding after you have poured the custard over it. Then press down all to make sure all is submerged. When serving in this manner, place a mint leaf on top of all.

Directions for Bread Pudding:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Lightly butter a 13X9X2-inch baking dish
• Arrange the bread cubes in the prepared dish
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk and sugar to blend.
• Pour the custard over the bread cubes, and press the bread cubes gently to submerge.
• Let stand for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread cubes into the custard mixture.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours up to overnight.
• After 2 or more hours, remove dish from frig. and bring up to room temp.
• Bake until the pudding puffs and is set in the center, about 45 minutes. Here in our altitude it took almost 60 minutes.

Directions for the sauce:
• Bring the cream, milk, and sugar to a boil in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat, STIRRING FREQUENTLY.
• In a small bowl, mix the amaretto and cornstarch to blend and then whisk into the cream mixture.
• Simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, STIRRING CONSTANTLY, about 2 minutes.
• Set aside and keep warm.
• This sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate and re-warm before serving.

End result:
Spoon the bread pudding into bowls, drizzle with the warm amaretto sauce, serve, and don’t plan for any left-over’s.

This is probably not a dish that you will make more than once or twice a year, but for around Halloween or Thanksgiving, it’s a colorful and yummy dish with which to surprise your family and overnight guests for a breakfast or brunch. It’s a pretty and unique dish to serve and I think just plain memorably fun.

Ingredients:

4 mini orange pumpkins (4 inches in diameter) which you’ve cut about 1/3rd of the way down, seeded and spoon-scraped clean the insides so that an egg will fit in nicely. The pumpkin inner flesh is delicious to eat with the egg. SAVE THE TOPS FOR DÉCOR and if they have a stem, all the better.

1-2 Tblsp. olive oil for the frying pan

1 small package cut up fresh squash and cut up even smaller by you into 1/2 inch diced pieces or 1 sweet potato peeled and coarsely shredded or grated.

1/2 C. onion or shallot, minced

1 red pepper cut longwise into slender strips

1/2 C. uncooked bacon, diced or Black Forest ham diced

1/2 C. olive oil

1/4 C. balsamic vinegar

1-2 Tsp. red chili flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tblsp. fresh sage or rosemary, minced

S&P

4 large eggs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 the day of serving.

In a small bowl whip together the olive oil, vinegar, chili flakes, garlic cloves and sage or rosemary. Reserve about 2 Tblsp. to either brush on the bottom of the pumpkins before placing in an egg or to drizzle on top of your egg when the egg is cooked.

In a medium sized frying pan, heat up the 1-2 Tblsp. olive oil and sauté the onion or shallot along with the red pepper strips until both are softened (about 5 minutes).

Add the vinaigrette to the onion/red peppers and quickly add the sweet potato or squash; gently stir everything so well mixed. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, uncovered until softened and tasting pretty good (about 10 minutes). At this point you can put a lid over the skillet to keep warm until you serve your egg/pumpkin or you can refrigerate it and reheat it with the pumpkins and eggs when you cook them. If you refrigerate the hash, let it come to room temp before putting in the oven with the pumpkins. Baking the hash in the oven will crispen the hash and you may prefer it like that.

The day of serving, for the pumpkins, line a baking sheet with foil and place them on the foil lined baking sheet, cut side down.

Bake the pumpkins on the sheet for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

Turn the pumpkins right side up on your baking sheet and if you wish, brush the inside of the pumpkins with a little of the leftover vinaigrette and season with S&P or save the vinaigrette for top of the egg drizzle when the egg is cooked. Crack one egg into the center of each pumpkin and if you wish to have a crisper hash or need to reheat your room temp hash, single layer that around your pumpkins.

Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue baking until the eggs are almost set—around 15 minutes. Start keeping a close eye on them about 10 minutes on and remember that when the pumpkin is out of the oven, the eggs will cook a bit more inside the hot pumpkins.

To serve: Spoon the hash onto plates and nestle the pumpkins in the center. Lean one pumpkin top on the side of each pumpkin. Drizzle a bit of the vinaigrette on top of the egg if you desire.

It’s nice to enjoy a really tasty quiche that you know is totally healthy for you as well as light caloric wise. Thinking about this crust, which is made with spinach, chard, or any of that similar green leafy veggie, Catherine de Medici of the early 16th Century comes to mind. She was an amazing woman for her time and age and still today would be. When she became queen of France, she so loved her spinach that she insisted it be served for every one of her meals. Catherine originally haled from Florence, Italy and therefore, her many spinach dishes created and made with spinach by her French chefs were named Florentine. So full circle here—you can see why I’ve named this quiche Florentine Crusted Quiche.

Crust Ingredients:

2 Tblsp. Olive Oil

1/2 Onion sliced very thin

1 ½ C. thinly sliced mushrooms

1 C. washed and packed chopped spinach, chard or any other green that suits your fancy

1/2 Tsp. salt and black pepper

2 Tblsp. cornmeal

2 Tblsp. water

Filling Ingredients:

6 eggs

1/2 C. milk or half-half or cream—can be fat-free—up to you. Of course, the richer the yummier

In a large skillet heat the olive oil and then add the onion stirring till nice it is brown and glossy (about 3-4 minutes); then add the mushrooms and stir them until well moistened and browned (about 5 minutes); then add your greens and S&P and cook till the greens are nicely wilted; then add the cornmeal and water and stir till the total mixture is well blended.

2. Press the above on the bottom and up the sides of your prepped cooking dish.

Filling Directions:

Beat eggs, cream and S&P thoroughly.

Fold in cheese and diced ham or bacon.

Pour filling into your prepared dish.

Very Final Directions:

Place the quiche on the middle rack in the oven for about 1 hour. Test the middle for it being done with a toothpick or fine knife for it to come out clear.

Well priced avocados still are bountiful at Atkinsons’. They are a nice large size and delicious tasting so here’s another easy and yummy recipe for anytime really—but of course perfect for breakfast. I serve this with warm tortillas, but a crusty baguette or toasted English muffin would also make a nice accompaniment.

Ingredients:

Avocados— as many as you wish

Eggs—as many as you wish

Diced cooked ham or bacon (of you can fry the bacon stove top while your dish is in the oven and sprinkle the bits over the avocados when they are done) (optional)

Chopped green onions—the whole thing

Fresh cracked black pepper (optional)

Paprika and/or Chili powder (optional)

Mexican shredded cheese (optional)

Salsa (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425

Line your desired baking dish that you will be using with aluminum foil.

Cut the avocados in half, length wise. If there is not enough of a dip in the avocado to hold an egg, take some of the flesh out so that you’ll have a nice dip.

Place the avocados in the dish and place a cracked egg in each. Some of the white may run over, but that’s OK.

Top the avocado and the inserted egg with your options listed in the ingredients. You might think of even more options, such as sour cream, etc.

Place the dish in the oven for 20 minutes. You can see if you like the results at 15 minutes, but mine is perfect in 20 minutes.

Buen appétit!!!!

For easy access and printing of this and past recipes, visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com Call Margot for personal cooking help or hosting

@ 721-3551.

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.

I found some very sweet and tasty California strawberries at the Ketchum Atkinsons’ store at a nice price- under $2 for a 1 lb. Clamshell. So, I of course ate some fresh but the thought of making this very tasty quick moist bread came to mind, so I did create a half a loaf, just for me. With some whipped cream cheese as a topping, it was delicious. Of course, I wanted to share this easy recipe so here it is.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 C. sugar

1/2 C. oil

1 ½ C. all-purpose flour

1 Tsp. baking soda

2 Tsp. cinnamon

1/2 Tsp. salt

1 ½ C. of your favorite chopped nuts

10 Oz. sliced strawberries –fresh preferably but they can be frozen

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 and oil well a 9 X 5 X 3 loaf pan. I also sprinkled some sugar on the bottom.

Beat eggs, sugar and oil until well combined.

Mix together well the flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. I use my whip for this.

Beat or mix all until well blended. Batter will be thick.

Add the berries and chopped nuts.

Spread the batter in the pan and bake on the middle rack for 55 to 65 minutes. For half a loaf, I used the same sized pan so the break turned out a bit less thick and it baked in about 40-45 minutes.

Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes and remove to a wire rack.

For easy access and printing of this and past recipes, visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com Call Margot for personal cooking help or hosting

@ 721-3551.

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.